Lore of the Nexus: The Realms and their Lords

We’ve lived tons of adventures in Heroes of the Storm. We’ve rejoiced in our victories and grumbled at our defeats. We’ve heard once and again “see you in the Nexus.” But do we really know what the Nexus is?

In the beginning, the Nexus was conceived as a transdimensional hub where all the universes from the different Blizzard’s franchises collided. Of course, this was a mere excuse to bring all the heroes together, and focus on what really mattered: the gameplay. However, this initial idea was outgrown by the distinctive maps, skins and mounts added to Heroes of the Storm. That’s how the current lore of the Nexus began.

The term “Realm” stopped being just a word to designate sets of battlegrounds, but universes of their own. In 2018, Game Director Alan Dabiri and Creative Content Lead Kevin Johnson presented the revamped Heroes of the Storm lore. The new Realms were as important as the original Blizzard universes. Azeroth, Sanctuary and the Koprulu Sector had been joined by many new worlds, with Raven Court, Luxoria and King’s Crest being the most important among the newcomers.

The Realms

The Raven Lord Oberon is the ruler of Raven Court, a realm we’ve been in ourselves thanks to Cursed Hollow, Haunted Mines and Towers of Doom. This Realm Lord defeated the Grave Keeper, who tried to take over his domains. To suffocate the rebellion, Oberon summoned the forces of the Dark Nexus, which he could not fully control and spread across the Nexus. The Raven Lord is Orphea’s father and one of the most powerful creatures in the whole Heroes of the Storm pantheon.

Tomb of the Spider Queen, Sky Temple and Lost Cavern are the domains of Ka, god of the sun and Realm Lord of Luxoria. Ka doesn’t want his realm to become a multiversal battleground, and uses his temple guardians to dissuade heroes from fighting there. Under the deserts of Luxoria lie many forgotten tombs. This subterranean world is the home of Neithis, the Spider Queen.

King’s Crest is a wealthy fairy-tale realm governed by Raena, the Lady of Thorns. Her husband was the former ruler, but was cursed and turned into a monster: the Dragon Knight from Dragon Shire. The one who cursed him was Raena’s sister, the Queen Nightshade from Garden of Terror. In the comic “Fall of King’s Crest,” the Raven Lord invaded this realm and damaged its Singularity.

The singularities are powerful and unique stones that grant their owners the power over the realm they belong to, turning them into Realm Lords. If a realm dies, its Singularity also dies and becomes an empty shell. These stones can’t be stolen and must be taken by force: battling and conquering. Each Heroes of the Storm game is a battle for a Singularity where players take the side of one of the contending Lords. The end game screen shows the powerful stone behind the “Victory” or “Defeat” message.

There are many more worlds besides these three main realms and the original Blizzard universes (plus Earth from Overwatch, which was released after Heroes of the Storm), such as Mistharbor (Blackheart’s Bay) or Neo-Stormwind (MechaStorm). The Kid from the everlasting Toys events might be a Realm Lord, and the same thing happens with El Guapo from Nexomania and other announcers. That’s the magic of Heroes of the Storm, where everything is supposed to be tied to a realm, from the most powerful being to the most meaningless cosmetic.

Which is your favorite realm? What realm would you like to know more of with future cosmetics?

Source: https://tl.net/forum/heroes/583902-lore-of-the-nexus-the-realms-and-their-lords